by Amy Reece
Hugh shoved his wallet in his back pocket and signed the credit card slip. “Nope. Let’s just forget it, okay?”
Finn stared at him for a long moment. “Sure. Okay.” He reached for a mint in the dish on the counter and tossed one to his brother. “I need to get back to the office.”
Hugh mentally castigated himself all the way to his parents’ house. All he’d managed to do was make both his girlfriend and his brother suspicious. Yes, he’d seen the patent disbelief in Chrissy’s eyes earlier and knew she didn’t believe him. He had no desire to lie to either one of them, but he didn’t feel comfortable sharing what Uncle Teddy had said. Shit and double shit. He absolutely didn’t want to be mixed up in this investigation but now he was. His top priority was keeping Finn and Chrissy safe, but if he couldn’t convince them to hand the case off to someone else he had no clue how he’d achieve that goal. He was praying he could get some sort of useful information from his father; it was a place to start, at least.
He found his mother in the kitchen, as usual, chopping vegetables for a salad. “Hey, Mom.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“Hugh! This is a treat! I hope you’ll stay for lunch.” She wiped her hands on a towel and hugged him.
“I just finished having lunch with Finn. Sorry. Is Dad around?”
She released him but stared up into his face, her brow furrowing in concern. “What’s wrong?”
Not much got by his mother—it never had. He forced a smile as he pulled away and reached into the refrigerator for a can of soda. “Nothing. I just have a few work-related questions for him.”
“Mmm hmm.” She glared at him. “He’s in the den watching The Price is Right.” She turned back to her chopping.
In the den, the television was blaring and contestants were jumping up and down as they were chosen. Hugh flopped onto the sofa next to his dad’s favorite recliner. “Hey, Dad. Do you have a few minutes?”
His father clicked the television off and turned to look at his oldest son. “Of course. What’s up?”
Hugh took a sip of his soda and tried to think. Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. “Well, Uncle Teddy came by this morning.”
“Please tell me he doesn’t need another loan.”
“No, no. Not as far as I know.” He blew out a breath. “He came to warn me about the case Finn and Chrissy are working on. You know, the bodies found on the Bonatti job site?”
“Why would Teddy know anything about that? The news said it was a serial killer.”
Not exactly, but Chrissy had said it was obviously what the FBI agent was hoping the general public would think. Hugh knew better than to share too much information with his father, however. He was sure Finn and Chrissy would prefer he not mention anything about the FBI agent. He decided to go for the bare minimum. “It was a mob hit, actually.”
“Ah, shit.”
Hugh set his soda on the side table and leaned forward. “That’s not exactly the reaction I expected, Dad. Care to explain?”
His father scrubbed his hands over his face. “Your Uncle Teddy is kind of an idiot in some ways, Hugh. He’s always been one for shortcuts and get-rich-quick schemes. It’s gotten him into trouble more than once, in fact.”
“You gave him a loan a few years ago, didn’t you? Why?”
“He’s as close as family. I knew he owed money to some rather unsavory people and I didn’t want to see him get hurt.” Tony stared at his son as if imploring him to understand why he would help his life-long friend.
Hugh sighed. He understood—of course he did—but it didn’t alleviate any of his worry over Teddy’s visit earlier that day. “And these unsavory people were connected with organized crime, weren’t they?”
His father nodded silently.
“Dad, I need more information.” How could he make his father understand the urgency of this situation? If he didn’t get anything more from this conversation, he was at a loss. He felt the panic begin to roil deep in his gut, churning the enchiladas he’d eaten earlier. He’d have to stop by the drugstore on the way back to work for some antacids. “Please. I’m worried about Finn and Chrissy. I tried to convince them to hand this case off to someone else, but they both refused outright.”
“That sounds like your brother.” Tony chuckled softly. “And your new girlfriend strikes me as the stubborn sort too. I don’t know what I can tell you, son. I don’t know anything.”
Hugh heaved to his feet and began pacing. “My brother and the woman I—” He stopped, appalled at what he’d been about to say. The woman I love. He’d been refusing to let himself even think those words yet, but apparently his heart disagreed with his head. He swallowed audibly and continued. “Finn and Chrissy may be in danger. I need some fucking information, Dad!”
Big Tony stood and crossed the room to his son. “Okay, son. I’ll talk to Teddy and see what I can find out. Calm down. Finn and Chris both know how to take care of themselves. They’re good cops. Have you told them about Teddy?”
Hugh shook his head, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t want to get him in trouble, but if it comes down to a choice between him and them—”
“Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll talk to Teddy. I’ll go see him this afternoon.”
“Yeah, okay.” His stomach calmed slightly. “Will you let me know what he says?”
“Of course. I’ll stop by the office after I see Teddy.” Tony returned to his recliner, clicking the television on again. “We’ll make sure they’re safe, Hugh. I promise.”
***
Chris
She was eager to get back to the precinct and discuss the DNA results with Finn, but Jared seemed inclined to linger over lunch. Since she didn’t want to piss him off, she remained until the bitter end, watching him sip a cup of coffee as he slowly ate a piece of cheesecake. She knew he was doing it to annoy her, so she held her seething temper deep inside and refused to glance at her watch. She was dying to smack the stupid little smirk off his beautiful face, but kept her hands clenched tightly in her lap, determined to wait him out. He was absolutely toying with her, no doubt punishing her for forcing his hand about the DNA report, which she was sure he’d had no intention of sharing with the State Police. She wondered why he was so reticent to cooperate; she’d worked with the FBI before and had found the agents to be professional, yet helpful with all facets of the investigation. Special Agent Daniels was something of a conundrum.
“Are you sure I can’t interest you in some dessert, Lieutenant Hart? And are you sure I can’t call you Chrissy? It gives a whole new aspect to your personality.”
“No dessert, and Hugh is the only one who gets to call me Chrissy. I’d prefer to keep this professional, Special Agent.”
“Are you always this prickly, Chris?” He raised his eyebrows, daring her to object to his use of her first name.
“I’m only prickly when I’m thwarted, Jared.” She emphasized his name, smiling coldly across the table. “Why are you being so stingy with information on this case? Are you worried my partner and I will make you look bad?”
He took another leisurely sip of his coffee, then set the cup on the table. “I’m not losing any sleep over it. How long have you and Lieutenant DeLuca’s brother been sleeping together?”
She willed herself not to react. “My personal life is none of your business. Let’s talk about the case. What else have you discovered that you’re not sharing?”
“I just think we’d work better if we get to know each other. I find you fascinating, Chris.”
She didn’t believe him for a second. He was clearly attempting to distract her from focusing on the investigation, but she had no intention of playing his game. “Have you found anything else about the FBI agent found with the other bodies?”
“Not much. We know Agent Barilla was undercover in the Argyros crime syndicate and had worked his way into the inner circle, but then he went missing. That’s about it.”
&nbs
p; “Argyros? That name has cropped up in connection with some drug busts. It’s Greek, right?”
“Yes. They came to power in the early 1970s in New York and Chicago, and worked their way west by the early 80s. They run the heroin trade in this part of the country these days. We would very much like to bring them down.”
“I saw way too many kids OD on heroin when I was in uniform. It’s a scourge on this city.” Chris grimaced as she remembered some of the horrible deaths she’d witnessed over the years.
“It’s in El Paso too. Bringing down the Argyros family would go a long way toward slowing down the river of heroin coming into the southwest, at least until another group takes over.”
“It sounds like we both want the same thing, Jared. So why are you being so difficult?”
The waiter interrupted them at that moment to deliver the check. Chris had a hard time holding back her frustration as Jared took advantage of the distraction to avoid answering her question. He slipped off to the restroom while he waited for his credit card to be run, then didn’t give her a chance to redirect when he returned, insisting he had to hurry back to El Paso. She chuckled ruefully, shaking her head as she watched him practically race out of the restaurant to his car.
Finn was at his desk when she returned to the precinct. “So, did you find out anything from Agent Dickweasel? Did he actually have a DNA report?”
She swallowed her chuckle—best not to encourage his inappropriate humor—and handed him the manila envelope. “We’ve got a name: Dante Fiore. He’s a small-time criminal, but he had a twin brother who hasn’t shown up on our radar since the early 1980s. It’s a pretty good chance the twin ended up on the wrong side of an angry mobster’s gun.”
“Well, it’s a start, I guess.” Finn sighed as he spread the report across his desk. “But it doesn’t tell us much about who shot him.”
“Hold your horses; there’s more.” She sat at her desk, leaning back with a superior expression on her face. “I have another name: Argyros.”
“And?”
“Our dead FBI agent was undercover in the Argyros crime family.”
“No shit? Any chance this stellar family is still hanging around Albuquerque?”
“Oh yeah.” Chris leaned forward and logged in to her computer. “According to Ja—Agent Daniels, they’re still very much a presence in the southwest, primarily involved in keeping the heroin trade up and running.” She figured it was too much to hope her partner didn’t catch her near slip-up over Daniels’ name.
Finn narrowed his eyes at her. “You call him Jared now? Come on, Chris!”
“Calm down! It’s simply easier than ‘Special Agent Daniels’ all the time. Besides, you get more flies with honey than vinegar.”
Finn rolled his eyes and sighed audibly. “Whatever,” he muttered and buried himself in research for the next few hours.
Chris knew from experience he wasn’t one to stay mad for long, but decided to leave him to his work for a while after finding out which of the two families he was looking into. She was knee deep in the Fiore family—what little she could discover—when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket.
Hugh: Hey beautiful. If ur not totally sick of me yet, can I talk u into a dinner date tonight?
She smiled.
Chris: Definitely. Your place?
Hugh: Nope. I’ll pick u up. Wear something nice.
Chris: So, my good jeans, right?
Hugh: Not so much. How about that dress you wore at the wedding?
She smiled crookedly.
Chris: I’ll see what I can do.
Hugh: Pick u up at 6.
She glanced at her watch and grimaced. She’d have to hurry if she was going to have time to take a shower and put a little makeup on. “I’m out of here, Finn. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Oh.” He glanced up, startled. “You never leave early.” He was frowning at her.
“Well, I happen to have a date with your big brother in a little over an hour. Apparently, he’s taking me somewhere nice and I need some time to primp.”
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with my partner?” He laughed as he said it, so she knew she was forgiven.
“Shut up.” She chuckled half-heartedly, but didn’t actually find what he’d said funny in the least. How long had it been since she’d paid much attention to how she looked? Finn’s words stung a bit and she decided to make sure her boyfriend knew she could bring it when the occasion called for it. The only time he’d ever seen her dressed up was at Finn’s wedding, and she knew she could do better. She had a dress hanging in her closet she’d bought on a crazy whim last year and tonight seemed like as good a time as any to debut it. She hoped she had the guts to go through with it.
Once home, she shaved her long legs carefully—tonight was not the time for any unsightly nicks—then jumped in the shower, using her favorite, yet expensive, shower gel. After she dried off, she slathered her body with the matching body lotion and spritzed with the body spray. She donned the lacy black bra and panty set she’d been saving for a special occasion, then set to work blow drying her short blonde hair, wishing there was something different she could do with it. She settled for a bit more gel than usual and tucking one side behind her ear. She carefully slipped the form-fitting dress over her head and slipped into her heels as the doorbell rang.
“Hi. Come in. I’m almost ready. I just need to find some jewelry.” She returned to her bedroom and rifled through her meager collection of earrings. She’d never been much for glitzy costume jewelry, but wished she had something a bit more special than the gold chain and heart pendant her parents had given her last Christmas. At least her stud earrings were real diamonds, small though they might be.
“Wow.” Hugh whistled as he reclined on her bed. She hadn’t realized he’d followed her into the bedroom. “You look incredible and you smell even better. That dress will fuel my fantasies for at least a month. Red is definitely your color, Chrissy.”
She spun for him, something she never would have believed herself capable of doing before the advent of this amazing man in her life. The look of appreciation on his face made her feel pretty and sexy, both feelings she hadn’t experienced often since her previous relationship fell apart. Of course, she put more stock in her intelligence and independence than looks, but it was nice to be appreciated simply as a woman once in a while. She giggled—also something she hadn’t done in quite a while—and returned to her dresser to pick up the necklace.
Hugh stood and stepped behind her to fasten the clasp. He leaned down to run his lips across the soft skin exposed at her neck, causing her to shiver with pleasure and lean back into his arms.
“Mmm.” She reached her hand up to stroke his face, the smoothness of his skin telling her he’d shaved again before their date.
He turned her to face him and lowered his lips within millimeters of her mouth. “Is this okay? I don’t want to mess up your makeup or anything.”
She’d met his ex-girlfriend, so his question didn’t surprise her terribly. She vowed never to let something like a little lipstick stop her from kissing him. “It’s way past okay,” she murmured against his lips. She sank into his embrace, her arms winding around his neck.
“God, Chrissy,” he whispered long moments later, his forehead leaning against hers. “I could kiss you all night.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“What are my chances of getting a raincheck until after dinner?”
“Pretty damn good.”
He chuckled and kissed her again quickly. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you in my life. You look beautiful tonight, angel.”
“You don’t look half-bad yourself.” He was wearing a dark gray suit with a crisp, navy shirt, open at the collar. She pressed her lips against the warm triangle of skin between his top buttons. “And I think I’m the lucky one.”
He tilted her chin up and looked deeply in her eyes. “Maybe we’re both lucky.” He smiled. “I hope y
ou’re hungry.”
“I could eat. Where are we going?”
“Bella Marcone. Is that okay?”
“Wow. Yeah, it’s great. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard it’s really nice. And hideously expensive.” She frowned, not wanting him to feel like he had to spend extravagant sums of money on her.
He smiled again and winked at her. “Don’t worry about that, Chrissy. I can afford it. Besides, my uncle owns it, so I get the family discount.”
Chapter Eleven
Hugh
“You aren’t eating much. Everything okay?”
Hugh quickly took another bite of the delicious penne Arrabbiata in front of him, although he didn’t want it. His stomach was still upset, no doubt a result of the stress he was under, and the spicy pasta wasn’t helping. But he didn’t want to pile any of his worry on Chrissy, especially since much of it concerned her continued involvement in the case his uncle had warned him about earlier that morning. “I’m fine. I was distracted by the beautiful woman across from me.”
“I never knew you were such a charmer, Hugh. I’m flattered, of course, but I don’t want to be the cause of you eating cold food.”
“Did you think I was talking about you? Well, that’s awkward. I meant that lady over there.” He gestured to an elderly woman at the table next to theirs.
“Ha ha.” She rolled her eyes as she sipped her wine.
He chuckled softly, hoping he’d managed to shift the focus from his worries. He hadn’t intended to bring her to his uncle’s restaurant tonight—in fact, he’d been planning to remain at home this evening, figuring it was probably a good idea to spend some time apart. They’d been together all weekend and had a great time; she was exceptionally easy to be with. He wanted to spend the evening with her, but he also didn’t want her to think he was being obsessive or clingy. He knew he should take it slow, play it cool, or whatever other crap the so-called relationship experts were spouting these days, but he just wanted to be with her. His plans for a solitary night had changed when his dad stopped by the office late in the afternoon with more information from Uncle Teddy. Reading between the lines of what his father had told him about their conversation, Big Tony had read his best friend the riot act about having any connection with threats directed toward any of his children or their significant others. Hugh wouldn’t be terribly surprised if a mild level of violence had been involved; Big Tony was normally a mild-mannered man, but he was extraordinarily protective of his children. He reported to Hugh that Teddy was appalled at his own behavior and wanted to apologize personally to Hugh. He urged him to bring his “young lady” to Bella Marcone that evening, free of charge. He assured Tony he was only passing on a message from an acquaintance and was sure it wasn’t nearly as serious as he’d made it sound. It was more like a suggestion to leave well enough alone than a full-on threat. Hugh wasn’t sure he believed it, but Teddy was his godfather, and had always been there for him. He knew his uncle wanted the best for him and frequently urged Hugh to find a nice girl and settle down. Maybe meeting Chrissy and seeing how amazing she was would convince Teddy to be fully on their side. It was most likely a stupid idea all around, but it was some sort of action. He was desperate to do something—anything—to keep her and Finn safe. His stomach roiled again at the thought of the danger this case was causing and he gave up on his dinner, pushing it away slightly.